Maravi

Zoellick bemoans global food crisis

Zoellick bemoans global food crisis
By Kabanda Chulu
Friday April 11, 2008 [04:00]

WORLD Bank president Robert Zoellick yesterday stated that there should be a balance between food supply and the need to develop biofuel in order to mitigate rising food prices. And Zoellick has challenged countries under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to conclude the Doha Global Trade talks that would cut distorting agricultural subsidies and open markets for food imports.

Speaking ahead of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings to be held this weekend, Zoellick stated that global food crisis now required the attention of political leaders in every country, since higher price volatilities were likely to stay for some time. He stated that estimates indicate that 33 countries could face social unrest because of higher food and energy prices.

“We need a new deal for global food policy that should focus not only on hunger and malnutrition, access to food and its supply, but also the interconnections with energy, climate change and the marginalisation of women and others,” Zoellick stated. “And with shifting population patterns, higher energy prices and demand for biofuels are draining maize stocks and other food crops, no one country can deal with the problem alone and this new deal requires a stronger delivery system, to overcome fragmentation in food security, health, agriculture, water, sanitation, rural infrastructure, and gender policies and a shift from traditional food aid to a broader concept of food and nutrition assistance must be part of this new deal.”

He stated that global response should begin with providing help to those in need and called on rich industrial nations, including the United States, Japan and European Union, to immediately fill a US $500 million funding gap at the World Food Programme to provide food aid to the world's poorest.

“On our part as World Bank we have increased lending for agriculture in Africa to US $800 million from US $450 million a year and already we have a draft business plan to support increased private-sector initiatives,” Zoellick stated.

And Zoellick stated that trade barriers on food hurt the poor and deterred farm production.

“A fairer and more open global trading system for agriculture will give farmers in developing countries more opportunities and confidence to expand food output and the solution is to break the Doha Development Agenda impasse in 2008," Zoellick stated.

Labels: FOOD, World Bank, ZOELLICK

posted by MrK @ 3:28 AM